Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.

Information on this website is compiled by Punto24 (Platform for Independent Journalism) from open sources.

Journalists in State of Emergency – 51

P24 has updated its list of imprisoned journalists after renewing it on the basis of six releases from prison which occurred late in 2016 and earlier this year. 148 journalists are in prison, either awaiting trial or serving convictions, according to P24’s latest figures.

Two distributors from Azadiya Welat, a Kurdish language newspaper which was shut down under Turkey’s State of Emergency, were released on Feb 21, after six months of imprisonment at Diyarbakır Prison.

On March 11, journalist Ergin Çağlar, who was detained on the same date in Adıyaman province in relation with an investigation taking place in Mersin province, was released after testifyinig to prosecutors in Mersin via Turkey’s judicial teleconference system SEGBIS. Çağlar, who was released on probation terms, is accused of membership in a terrorist organization.

Pro-government journalists deported in the Netherlands

A group of journalists with the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) and Anatolia news agency – both state-owned and overtly pro-government outlets – were deported from the Netherlands by authorities who also denied entry to Turkey’s Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betül Sayan.

The move comes as part of a series of retaliatory moves by both parties after Dutch authorities started banning attempts by Turkish government politicians to organize rallies for the upcoming April 16 referendum to address the Turkish community of the Netherlands.

Journalists arrested under State of Emergency as part of coup investigation

Bayram Parlak, Radyo Cihan (Diyarbakır), Released after months in prison

Lalezar Sarıibrahimoğlu (Lale Kemal), Zaman columnist –Released after about 90 days in prison

Nuriye Ural (Akman), Zaman columnist –Released after about 90 days in prison